How To Dye / Tint Your Own Eyelashes and Eyebrows (Tutorial)
*I am wearing foundation in the after shot, but absolutely
nothing on my eyelashes and eyebrows!*
I've been tinting my eyelashes and eyebrows for about three years now. Every 8-8 weeks it's a bit of a ritual for me. The subtle effect just makes me feel that much more confident about myself without make up on. Additionally, since I've started dying my hair dark, my fair eyebrows just don't look right against the mahogany of my hair!
The cost of having this done at a salon is at least 10x more expensive per session than doing it yourself. Additionally, the way I apply the dye, I keep my eyes open and apply like mascara. This way I can get on with my chores while the dye is working away. When I had my eyelashes tinted at a salon, my eyes were closed during the application, and the technician kind of soaked my eyes with the dye. It got into my eyes and hurt like a female dog! Plus, she painted over my expensive manicure with a strange iridescent blue colour while it was going on, I was too polite to say anything (being British and all) as she felt like she was doing me a favour :(
First things first: Safety. Make sure you do a patch test before using any eyelash dye product. One of my eyelash dyes actually says 'POISON' on the tube, so be very wary. You only get one set of eyes in your life so be extra careful. On the box it will say to do a patch test behind your ear 24-48 hours before using on your lashes.
Choosing the product. I've used a range of products but I can highly recommend Eylure in dark brown and black (I've not tried blue-black so cannot vouch for it, although I've heard wonderful things!)
What you'll need:
The dye kit will consist of:
- Dye (obviously!)
- Accelerator fluid
- A spoolie/applicator wand
- A mixing tray
Extras that I use are:
- A clean mascara wand
- Egg cups (I find them easier to clean and mix in than the flimsy plastic tray provided)
- Vaseline (very important)
- Q Tips/Cotton buds
- A watch/timer. Something to keep an eye on development time
- Cleanser
- Cotton pads
I generally dye my eyebrows and eyelashes in the same session. I use black on my lashes and Eyelure's dark brown eyelash dye for my eyebrows.
Step 1
Mix your dye and accelerator fluid. Again, I do this in an egg cup purely because I can work a little harder with the spoolie to mix it more easily. Make sure you're using more accelerator than dye, the ratio varies from product to product but generally it's 1:3 I think.
Step 2
Prep your eye area. Using a q-tip/coton bud or your finger, buff vaseline into your eyelids and any skin around your eyelashes that you DON'T want to be stained black. If you skip this step, you run the risk of having a permanent 'I slept in my make up and have dramatic panda face' look!
This step should be repeated around your eyebrows. It's really difficult to get rid of the stain so be prepared!
That being said, try not to get vaseline on the hairs that you want to dye. Since the vaseline acts as a barrier to the dye, you don't want to get the vaseline on your actual lashes/brows!
Step 3
Apply the dye. For my eyelashes I use a old clean mascara brush. I just find that the fat wand gives me a better application, but that's just my humble personal opinion. I roll the wand in the dye and place the brush at the base of my lashes (being careful not to get any in my eye!). I then shake/zigzag the brush up my lashes from root to tip.
I then look down and do the same from above. I do this because my lashes are noticeably blond at the roots when I look down (see the before and after, I didn't quite manage dying that on this attempt!)
For my bottom lashes, I do the same but try to use the end of the brush for a more precise application.
I then roll a cotton bud in vaseline and clean up the dye on my skin, going back over with the dry end to extra sure I don't dye my eyelids!
Step 4
Waiting! On the box it recommends a 5-10 minute development time. However I generally do 15-20 minutes. I experimented and increased the time gradually, finding that 10 minutes just didn't give a dramatic enough look for me. This is where the timer comes in.
Step 5
Eyebrow time! The wait time for eyebrows is 1-2 minutes. I stick to this! First time I did this I thought "phhffftt, that cannot be long enough!" and left it on for 5 minutes. As a result, my lashes went from blonde to black. My mum said to me "Abi you need to take off that eyebrow pencil it's too dark". I had to awkwardly explain that it would look that way for 6 weeks. Oops!
I start mixing the eyebrow dye about 5 minutes before I want to take off the eyelash dye. This way I can apply it (with the smaller spoolie), let it develop and then remove both the eyelash and eyebrow dye simultaneously.
Step 6
20 minutes after I finished applying the eyelash dye and 2 minutes after applying the brow dye, I'll squirt some cleanser (in my case, Cetaphil) onto a cotton pad and swipe off the dye. This part can sting so be careful! I usually wash my face with warm water to make extra sure all the dye is removed.
And voila! Subtle but noticeably darker brows and eyelashes!
I can't ever see myself not tinting my eyelashes and eyebrows, I think it just enhances the way I look without make up on. If I'm having a really lazy make up day I can just apply 8 hour cream/vaseline as a clear mascara to my eyelashes to give them extra length.
Hope you found this 'how to dye your eyelashes' tutorial helpful/interesting! Let me know if you have any questions!
